VS Naipaul tried writing under a pseudonym and his manuscripts got rejected by publishing companies IIRC.
If any question why we died/ Tell them, because our fathers lied -Rudyard Kipling
Stayin' Alive
^ Considering how publishing works, that actually isn't much of a shocker. The fact that everyone gets rejected at some point is one of the biggest things underlining why getting a lot of rejection slips isn't something that should send you into a fit of depression. And that's not even getting into the whole "name branding" discussion...
Nemo enim fere saltat sobrius, nisi forte insanit Deviantart.
^ Madeline L'Engel got rejected so much she tried to quit writing altogether.
edited 19th May '11 3:20:24 PM by Ettina
If I'm asking for advice on a story idea, don't tell me it can't be done.
I find it highly amusing how many times a writer gets rejected. Imagine thirty-nine publishing companies lameting that they reject that Rowling girl fourteen years or so ago.
edited 19th May '11 3:38:11 PM by chihuahua0
I don't think those rules reflect much; To Kill A Mockingbird was Harper Lee's first (and only) novel, for instance, and I don't know of any reams of practice writing that preceded it. It's just that, even if you're a fantastic writer, that's no guarantee of success.